GROUP 1- NUTRITION AND ITS POSITIVE EFFECTS includes iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt,

fluoride, and selenium.

Nutrition is nourishment or energy that is obtained
from food consumed or the process of consuming the Let's take a closer look at some of the minerals you get
proper amount of nourishment and energy. from food.

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF NUTRITION CALCIUM

Most people know good nutrition and physical activity Calcium is the top macromineral when it comes to your
can help maintain a healthy weight. But the benefits of bones. This mineral helps build strong bones, so you can
good nutrition go beyond weight. do everything from standing up straight to scoring that
winning goal. It also helps build strong, healthy teeth,
Good nutrition can help: for chomping on tasty food.
*Reduce the risk of some diseases, including heart Which foods are rich in calcium?
disease, diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and
osteoporosis *dairy products
*Reduce high blood pressure *leafy green vegetables
*Lower high cholesterol *calcium-fortified foods
*Improve your well-being Improve your ability to fight
off illness POTASSIUM
*Improve your ability to recover from illness or injury
*Increase your energy level *Weight management Potassium (say: puh-TAH-see-um) keeps your muscles
*Growth and development *Good for mental health and nervous system working properly.

GROUP 2 – FUNCTION OF MINERALS

TO OUR BODY Which foods are rich in potassium?

bananas
Just like vitamins, minerals help your body grow, tomatoes
develop, and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to potatoes and sweet potatoes, with skins
green vegetables
perform many different functions — from building
citrus fruits
strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Some low-fat milk and yogurt
minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain
a normal heartbeat. ZINC

Macro and Trace Zinc helps your immune system, which is your body's
system for fighting off illnesses and infections. It also
The two kinds of minerals are: helps with cell growth and helps heal wounds, such as
macrominerals and trace minerals. Macro means cuts.
"large" in Greek (and your body needs larger amounts
Which foods are rich in zinc?
of macrominerals than trace minerals). The
macromineral group is made up of calcium, phosphorus,  beef, pork, and dark meat chicken
magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur.  nuts, such as cashews, almonds, and peanuts
 legumes, such as beans, split peas, and lentils
A trace of something means that there is only a little of
it. So even though your body needs trace minerals, it VITAMIN A:
needs just a tiny bit of each one. Trace minerals
Promotes skeletal growth, normal tooth structure,
healthy mucous membranes, healthy skin, eyes and
hair; essential for night vision. NATURAL SOURCES: Fish VITAMIN B-1: (Thiamine): Helps convert sugar and
liver oils, liver, carrots, green and yellow vegetables, starches into energy; promotes digestion, strong
dairy products. heart muscle, child growth; prevents fatigue, fat
deposits in arteries. NATURAL SOURCES: Whole
VITAMIN D: wheat, dried yeast, oatmeal, peanuts, pork, bran,
Promotes bone and tooth development and normal enriched rice, sunflower seeds, soybean sprouts.
growth; aids utilization of phosphorus and calcium; VITAMIN B-2: (Riboflavin): Aids in releasing energy
maintains nervous system and heart action; prevents to body cells; enables utilization of fats, proteins
rickets. and sugars. NATURAL SOURCES: Dairy products,
VITAMIN E: Protects body’s store of Vitamin A, tissues liver, kidney, yeast, leafy greens, fish, eggs.
and fat from destructive oxidation, and breakdown of VITAMIN B-12: Promotes utilization of protein, fats
red corpuscles; strengthens capillary walls; regulates and carbohydrates; essential for formation of red
menstrual rhythm; prevents loss of other vitamins; aids blood cells; builds nucleic acid; prevents pernicious
blood flow to heart; lowers blood cholesterol and fatty anemia; helps nervous system. NATURAL SOURCES:
acids; vital to cell health; regulates protein and calcium Liver, beef, pork, eggs, dairy products, shellfish.
metabolism. NATURAL SOURCES: Soybeans, vegetable
oils, broccoli, brussels sprouts, leafy greens, enriched FOLIC ACID: Essential for function of Vitamins A, D,
flour, whole wheat, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, E, and K, forms red blood cells and nucleic acid;
eggs. improves circulation; aids digestion of proteins.
May help prevent neuro tube defects (pina bifida),
VITAMIN C: Essential for the formation of collagen; and some cancers. It reduces the risk of coronary
needed for absorption of iron, some proteins and folic heart disease. NATURAL SOURCES: Dark-green leafy
acid; prevents oxidation of other vitamins; aids in vegetables, carrots, liver, eggs, soybeans, avocados,
metabolism of amino acids and calcium; stops internal
oranges, beans whole wheat.
bleeding; strengthens blood vessels maintains hard
bones and teeth; promotes stamina; holds body cells CALCIUM: Builds bones and teeth; aids in proper
together prevents infections, colds, fatigue and stress; function of muscles, heart, nerves, and iron
reduces allergies; heals wounds and burns. NATURAL utilization; helps blood coagulation; regulates the
SOURCES: Citrus fruits, berries, green and leafy passage of nutrients in and out of cells; relieves pain
vegetables, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet and cramps; eases insomnia. NATURAL SOURCES:
potatoes. Dairy products, soybeans, sunflower seeds,
legumes, sardines.
NIACIN: (as Niacinamide): Aids normal functioning of
tissues, particularly skin, gastrointestinal tract and MAGNESIUM: Reduces blood cholesterol; forms
nervous system; used with other vitamins in converting hard tooth enamel and fights tooth decay; aids in
carbohydrates to energy. NATURAL SOURCES: Liver, converting blood sugar into energy; helps regulate
lean meat, whole wheat, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, body temperature; aids nerve function and bone
fish, eggs, roasted peanuts, poultry, sesame seeds, nuts. growth; helps utilize Vitamins B, C, E; promotes
absorption and metabolism of other minerals;
activates enzymes for metabolism of carbohydrates
VITAMIN B-6: (Pyridoxine HCl) Aids metabolism of and amino acids; prevents calcium deposits in the
protein carbohydrates and fats; controls cholesterol bladder, heart attacks, depression, polio. NATURAL
level; aids chemical balance between blood and tissue; RESOURCES: Nuts, figs, seeds, dark-green
prevents water retention; builds hemoglobin. NATURAL vegetables, wheat bran, avocados, bananas.
SOURCES: Brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ,
organ meats, beef, avocados, bananas, milk, eggs.
 IRON: Present in all cells; one of the constituents of
hemoglobin which carries oxygen to the tissues by GROW FOODS help our body grow bigger and
blood circulation. NATURAL RESOURCES: Liver, stronger. ‘Grow’ foods help build our body’s bones,
teeth and muscles. Examples of ‘Grow’ foods
meat, raw clams, oysters, oatmeal, nuts, beans,
include chicken, meat, fish, eggs and milk, cheese,
wheat germ. yoghurt. All of these foods help to keep us feeling
full so that we don’t get hungry straight away.
IODINE: Aids thyroid gland and prevents goiter;
‘Grow’ foods also help keep our brain bright and
helps burn fat; converts carotene into Vitamin A; focused. If we don’t eat enough ‘Grow’ foods our
aids absorption of carbohydrates from small bodies won’t have the right building blocks to make
intestine; promotes growth; regulates energy us taller and stronger.
production; maintains hair, nails skin and teeth.
NATURAL SOURCES: Kelp, seafood, vegetables. GLOW FOODS are full of vitamins and minerals to
keep our skin, hair, and eyes bright and glowing.
COPPER: Facilitates iron absorption; synthesizes ‘Glow’ foods can keep our immune system strong so
enzymes and skin pigments; promotes protein that we can fight bugs and viruses. Examples of
‘Glow’ foods include all fruits and vegetables.
metabolism; aids Vitamin C oxidation; produces
Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are full of
RNA; forms hemoglobin, red blood cells, and hair vitamins and minerals that we need to eat different
color. NATURAL SOURCES: Shrimp, beef liver, whole types every day.
wheat, prunes, nuts, raw oysters.

ZINC: Eliminates cholesterol deposits; aids in

GROUP 4- FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
absorption of B-Vitamins, manufacture of enzymes
A. Fruit and vegetables for good health
and insulin, and metabolism of carbohydrates;
essential for growth; aids healing essential for Fruits and vegetables are low in fat, salt and sugar.
proper function of prostate gland; prevents They are a good source of dietary fibre. As part of a
prostate cancer and sterility; keeps hair glossy and well-balanced, regular diet and a healthy, active
smooth. NATURAL RESOURCES: Eggs, cheese, beef, lifestyle, a high intake of fruit and vegetables can help
pork, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, pumpkin seeds, you to:
popcorn.
1. Reduce obesity and maintain a healthy weight
2. Lower your cholesterol
GROUP 3 – GO, GROW and GLOW 3. Lower your blood pressure.
FOODS
B. Fruit and vegetables and protection against
Concept Brief diseases

A day of school keeps young minds and bodies very Vegetables and fruit contain phytochemicals, or plant
busy. So children need to enjoy a wide variety of chemicals. These biologically active substances can help
foods for their growth and development. to protect you from some diseases. Scientific research
shows that if you regularly eat lots of fruit and
GO FOODS are the type of food that provide fuel vegetables, you have a lower risk of:
and help us ‘go’ and be active. Examples of ‘Go’ 1. Type 2 diabetes
foods include bread, rice, pasta, cereals, and 2. Stroke
potato. These foods give our muscles fuel to run, 3. Heart (cardiovascular) disease – when fruits and
swim, jump, cycle and our brain fuel to concentrate. vegetables are eaten as food, not taken as
If we don’t eat enough ‘Go’ foods then we can feel supplements
tired and won’t have enough fuel to get through the 4. Cancer – some forms of cancer, later in life High
day. It’s important to include ‘Go’ foods at all meals blood pressure (hypertension).
and especially breakfast so that our body and brain
can get ready for the busy school day ahead. C. Types of fruit
 Fruit is the sweet, fleshy, edible part of a plant. It
generally contains seeds. Fruits are usually eaten Blue and purple foods – like blueberries and
raw, although some varieties can be cooked. They eggplant. These contain anthocyanins, which may
come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and flavors. help protect the body from cancer

Common types of fruits that are readily available White foods – like cauliflower. These contain
include: sulforaphane and may also help protect against
some cancers.
Apples and pears
Citrus – oranges, grapefruits, mandarins and limes GROUP 5 – HARMFUL FOODS THAT
Stone fruit – nectarines, apricots, peaches and
plums YOU THINK ARE HEALTHY
Tropical and exotic – bananas and mangoes Berries
– strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwifruit You will find bold health claims for all kinds of foods,
and passion fruit most often based on zero evidence.
Melons – watermelons, rock melons and honeydew
melons 1. Fruit Juices
Tomatoes and avocados
The fruit juices you find at the supermarket aren't
D. Types of vegetables always what they seem.

Vegetables are available in many varieties and can They may have small amounts of real fruit in them, but
be classified into biological groups or ‘families’, often they are little more than water, artificial flavor
including: and sugar.
Leafy green – lettuce, spinach and silverbeet
Cruciferous – cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts But even if you're drinking real fruit juice, it is still a bad
and broccoli
idea.
Marrow – pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini Root –
potato, sweet potato and yam Fruit juice is like fruit with most of the good stuff
Edible plant stem – celery and asparagus
removed.
Allium – onion, garlic and shallot.
All that is left is the sugar and a few vitamins. Orange
E. Colours of fruits and vegetables
juice, for example, contains the same amount of sugar
You will get the most health benefits and protection as Coca Cola.
against disease if you eat a wide variety of fruits and
There's no fiber in it, no chewing resistance and nothing
vegetables. The National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) Australian dietary to stop you from downing massive amounts of sugar in
guidelines recommend that adults eat at least five a short amount of time.
kinds of vegetable and two kinds of fruit every day.
Eating too much sugar is associated with all sorts of
Foods of similar colours generally contain similar diseases. These include obesity, type II diabetes,
protective compounds. Try to eat a rainbow of cardiovascular disease and many others.
colourful fruits and vegetables every day to get the
full range of health benefits. For example: It is much better to avoid fruit juices and eat real fruits
instead.
Red foods – like tomatoes and watermelon. These
contain lycopene, which is thought to be important BOTTOM LINE: Most fruit juices contain the same
for fighting prostate cancer and heart disease amount of easily digestible sugar as sugar-sweetened
soft drinks. It is best to eat whole fruits instead.
Green vegetables – like spinach and kale. These
contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which may help 2. Whole Wheat
protect against age-related eye disease
It is true that whole wheat is healthier than refined All fructose is metabolized by the liver. If the liver is full
wheat. of glycogen the fructose will be turned into fat.

But this does NOT mean that whole wheat is healthy. This can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and all
kinds of metabolic problems like resistance to the
It's kind of like saying that because filtered cigarettes hormones insulin and leptin, which will ultimately lead
are healthier than unfiltered cigarettes, everyone
to obesity and diabetes.
should be smoking filtered cigarettes. It's flawed logic.
While regular sugar is 50% fructose, the fructose
There are plenty of good reasons to avoid wheat... both content of Agave is as high as 90%. If anything, agave
the refined and the whole variety. is even worse than sugar!
For example, wheat is the main source of gluten in the BOTTOM LINE: Agave nectar is loaded with fructose and
diet and a large part of the population may be gluten therefore causes all the same problems as regular sugar
sensitive.
and high fructose corn syrup.
The immune system of susceptible individuals attacks
4. Sports Drinks
the gluten proteins in the digestive tract. This can cause
damage to the lining of the digestive tract, pain, Sports drinks were designed for athletes who have just
bloating, tiredness, stool inconsistency and other nasty finished an intense training session with massive
symptoms. sweating and glycogen depletion.

One study shows that wheat fiber can make For this reason, sports drinks contain:
you Vitamin D deficient, making you burn through your
stores of this important vitamin much faster. Water - to replenish lost fluid.

Another study shows that whole wheat raises small, Electrolytes - to replenish electrolytes like sodium that
dense LDL (the truly "bad" cholesterol) by a whopping were lost via sweat.
60%. Sugar - because athletes need energy after an intense
BOTTOM LINE: Whole wheat is rich in gluten and can workout.
cause digestive problems and various symptoms. It may You don't need any additional electrolytes unless you've
also cause Vitamin D deficiency and elevated small, been doing a very intense workout and most people are
dense LDL cholesterol. already eating too much sugar.
3. Agave Nectar One bottle of Gatorade contains over 30 grams of sugar.
In the health food isle at the supermarket, you will You're better off sticking to plain water, which you
definitely find some "sugar-free" products that are should certainly drink plenty of, especially around
sweetened with Agave. workouts.
This sweetener is touted as a healthy alternative to BOTTOM LINE: If you're not doing super intense
sugar because it is natural has a low glycemic index. workouts, then you should avoid sports drinks. They are
But the harmful effects of sugar have little to do with its not needed and contain sugar.
glycemic index, it is harmful primarily because it is 5. "Heart-Healthy" Vegetable Oils
loaded with unnatural amounts of fructose.
As the fear of saturated fat took hold of the world,
Too much fructose in the diet can cause all sorts of consumption of all kinds of nasty ingredients increased.
problems, especially in people who don't exercise
much.
Prime examples are industrial seed- and vegetable What they basically did was removed the good stuff
oils like soybean, corn and cottonseed oil. (fat) and replace it with bad stuff (sugar).

These oils are extracted from seeds using very harsh This is how they managed to turn perfectly healthy
processing methods and include high heat, bleaching foods like yogurt into very harmful products filled with
and the toxic solvent hexane. unhealthy ingredients.

These oils contain very large amounts of Omega-6 fatty BOTTOM LINE: Avoid everything labeled "low-fat" or
acids, way more than humans ever consumed "fat-free." These are highly processed products loaded
throughout evolution. with sugar and other harmful substances.

We need small amounts of these fatty acids in the diet, 7. Gluten-Free Junk Foods
such as the amounts found in meat and nuts. However,
if we eat way too much like is the case with Western Many people have started to avoid gluten... a protein
found in wheat, spelt, rye and barley (and a few other
populations, this causes problems.
grains).
Eating too much of these fats can lead to inflammation,
Almost a third of the U.S. population currently wants to
which is a leading cause of many chronic diseases (18).
cut back on gluten or go gluten-free.
These oils get incorporated into our body fat stores and
cellular membranes, where they are highly sensitive to Food manufacturers have caught up on the trend and
have started offering all sorts of gluten-free "health
oxidation and damage.
foods."
To top it all off, the industrial vegetable oils that you
find in the supermarket contain 0.56-4.2% of their fatty The problem with these foods is that they're usually not
acid as trans fats, which are highly toxic. healthy at all.

BOTTOM LINE: Vegetable oils are unhealthy and lead to Instead of a gluten grain, they're made with other
starches like potato starch, tapioca starch or some
inflammation. They are potential key players in the
epidemic of Western diseases. others. These starches are usually highly refined, void of
nutrients and spike blood sugar fast, just like wheat.
6. Low-Fat or Fat-Free Foods
But these products are often also loaded with sugar and
It ain't the fat, people! other harmful or artificial chemicals.

Despite the last decades of propaganda This does NOT apply to foods that are naturally gluten
against saturated fats, they have now been proven to free, like meats or vegetables. If a product says "gluten-
be harmless (20, 21). free" on the package, then it's probably bad for you.

When the anti-fat message first came out, food BOTTOM LINE: Gluten-free foods are highly processed
manufacturers started producing "healthy" products foods that are not much healthier than their gluten-
that were low-fat or fat-free. containing counterparts. It's best to avoid them.

The only problem is that foods that have had the fat 8. Margarine And Fake Butters
removed taste like crap.
"I wish butter tasted more like margarine, said nobody
The food manufacturers then loaded their products ever." - Danny J. Albers
with chemicals, artificial sweeteners and massive
amounts of sugar. Another side effect of the anti-fat histeria is a plethora
of so-called "healthy" butter alternatives.
The most notable example of these is margarine. It used Of course, there are some healthier brands available,
to be loaded with trans fats, now it tends to contain but if you want to avoid the crap then you must read
processed vegetable oils instead. labels!

Butter consumption went down, margarine If you're starving and far away from home, then
consumption went up. healthier types of energy bars can certainly be better
than a burger and a coke, but your money is still better
The problem with this is that butter is spent on real foods.
healthy. Margarine is NOT.
BOTTOM LINE: Energy and protein bars are often highly
Grass-fed butter, in particular, is an excellent source of processed products. Most people don't need them and
the fatty acid butyrate and Vitamin K2, both of which
they tend to contain sugar and other nasty ingredients.
can have powerful positive effects on health (22, 23).
10. Low Carb Junk Foods
Margarine is a processed food with harmful ingredients
that can make you sick. As people have changed their mind on fat being the
root of all evil, some people have started cutting back
In one large study, replacing butter with margarine led
on carbs instead.
to a drastically increased risk of death from heart
attacks. Again, food manufacturers have caught notice and
brought all sorts of low-carb junk foods to the market.
This is one great example of where blindly following the
mainstream advice can put you in an early grave. Even though something is low in carbs and can help
you lose weight, it may still be very unhealthy.
BOTTOM LINE: Margarine is a processed food that
contains unhealthy, artificial ingredients. Avoid it, use Great examples are the low-carb Atkins bars. These are
real grass-fed butter instead. nasty, highly processed products that nobody should be
eating.
9. Energy Bars
If you're going to do a low-carb diet, stick to real,
Energy bars are in the same boat as sports drinks - most
unprocessed foods.
people don't need them.
BOTTOM LINE: There are some low-carb processed
If you're an elite athlete who desperately needs to keep foods on the market that are extremely unhealthy and
protein intake high and eat every 2-3 hours, then these loaded with artificial ingredients.
bars can definitely be convenient.
11. "Healthy" Breakfast Cereals
However, most people don't need to eat that often and
these bars don't contain anything that you can't get Most highly processed breakfast cereals are not
from real foods. healthy.

Energy bars and protein bars are often highly processed In fact, they are among the worst foods you can eat.
products. Even though they may be higher in protein
than chocolate bars, they often still contain the same They're often loaded with sugar and refined
carbohydrates.
unhealthy ingredients.

Sugar, white flour, artificial flavor... you name it, they've Then the manufacturers fortify them with some
synthetic vitamins and put tiny amounts of whole grains
got it.
in the mix, then market their products as healthy.
Don't be fooled by the labels... low-fat, fat-free, whole
grain, etc. Just check the ingredients list on these
products, they're usually loaded with sugar.

Starting the day with a high-sugar cereal will set you up

for a blood sugar crash later in the day, followed by
hunger, cravings and another high-carb meal.